2. A sense of place
A
goal of travel writing
and/or photography is to
give viewers a feeling of
what it was like to be in
that location.
We call this a sense of
place.
3. The essence
In
travel journalism, we try to capture the
essence of a community, a lake, a
mountain range, a country.
We try to give our viewers the feeling that
this could be no where else on Earth.
4. A feeling
It
captures not so much an
objective view of a place,
but a feeling of the place.
5. Evoke a feeling
It tries to evoke something in the viewer that
says:
This is Paris.
8. Travel in spirit
The
concept of travel journalism, to
capture the essence of a place, does not
mean you have to go far away.
You can try to capture the feeling, the
essence of your home town.
Or your university.
Or your workplace.
9. Capturing the essence
What describes a place? Two natural
features often define a place:
Climate
Landform
10. Weather
Choosing
to emphasize weather typical
of a place can help us to feel what it
might be like to be there.
The weather we choose might not be
obvious. Tropical climates are usually
sunny, but we know taking pictures in the
middle of a sunny day doesn’t usually
product the best images.
14. Land and
surroundings
The place we live defines our
lives: cities, mountains, plains,
seashore, lakes, desert.
People live differently in response
to their surroundings.
These also help to define our
sense of place.
15. Customs and dress
Customs
and distinctive dress contribute
to our sense of place.
The way people walk, the things they
carry, their surroundings also contribute.
16. Land and culture
In
what country is this
picture taken?
What are the visual clues?
18. Land and people
Could
this be the
Midwest?
Why/why not?
Could this be the
United States?
Why/why not?
19. Visual cues
A
variety of visual cues can give a sense
of place:
Worn wood and peeling paint
Glint of ice and snow
Narrow streets
Color contrast
Houses and buildings
20. Study a place
Begin
by taking a close look at your
surroundings.
Travel journos often begin by touring the
area without a camera.
You can soak in the ambience and get a
feeling for what might make a good
photo.
21. Avoiding clichés
Photojournalists
try to avoid
cliché images in giving a sense
of place.
For example, everyone knows
the Eiffel Tower is in Paris. Taking
yet one more photo is a cliché.
Try to find something new.
22. Working a cliché
You
can, however,
take a cliché photo in
an unusual way.
23. Campus clichés
What
might we consider a cliché image
of campus life?
Could we take the photo in a way to
avoid the cliché image?
27. Timeliness is paramount
You must be aware of subtle movement in
the game.
Avoid talking to others and keep your head in
the game.
It’s easy to get distracted and miss a huge
play.
Strive to capture sport in a unique way. A
good sports photo and a well-written story are
both timely and have high reader interest.
28.
If you can do it right,
there’s money to be
made.
Star player photos
and interviews get
you paid.
You must mimic
qualities of a sports
fan while trying to
avoid becoming
one. Read: no bias!
Read, listen, talk
sports. Look for
stories you want to
cover: injuries, major
trade or fights and
feuds, players and
coaches, money,
etc.
Big money
29. Plan for the
drama
Do your research and know which players are
having hot streaks (on and off the field). A
news angle like this adds extra dimension
(read: money).
History in the making
Make friends with the team statistician by
contacting the PR department. If the team
breaks or ties a record, you need to make
that a big part of the story.
30. Readers want winners (and
losers)
The
greatness is not so important as the
STORY!
Get the photo that tells the story.
Start your lede with “What the story is
about.”
Watch the action but don’t stop when
the final whistle blows. Sometimes
expressions tell the story better than the
action. Look for that “afterglow” effect.
31. Get things that summarizes the
game/match
Whether
it’s the lead photo or the lede in
your story, get the names of each team,
key players and the outcome of the
game.
Also describe the game’s highlights –
turning point or winning goal, star of the
game, and injuries to important players.
Note: you must follow the game closely so
you know what to write/photograph
32. Crowds
are key
Crowds reactions
also help
characterize the
game’s emotions.
Don’t get a
picture of the
team celebrating
when, at the
same time, you
could get a shot
of the losers
sulking.
After the game, run into the middle of
the field, if that’s what’s feels good.
Don’t be afraid to get in the middle
and mix it up.
Or, stand back with your long lens
and/or notepad if you agree to “shoot
long.”
33. Reactions on and off
Watch
the field and the sidelines but
don’t miss anything on the bench or
dugout.
Get the coach pacing and yelling at refs.
How about a clenched jaw or the frown
of an injured athlete wearing a cast.
Often but not always off limits – the locker
room! That’s where a lot of emotions are
revealed.
34. Tips for
sports PJ
Don’t forget your
captions – names, what
happened, when the
action took place
Take photos of the scoreboard to know when action
occurred
Take a picture of the roster
Take a copy (or a picture) of play-by-play stats
available from officials after the game
Learn the shorthand and jot down descriptions after
each play. Audio recordings on your phone or DSLR.
35. Sports
features
The news approach to sports usually involves
inverted pyramids and sharp, freeze-frame
images. However, a more impressionistic
approach could add drama and be more
appealing.
Set your camera on a slow shutter speed or, if
you’re a journalist, ignore the critical winning
moment in favor of another moment that
captures the atmosphere of the event.
Attempts like this usually transcend the actual
event and become a universal statement about
the sport.
36. Techniques for PJ sports
Freeze action: at least 1/500th second
High ISO
You need a faster shutter the faster the sport
(runners vs. joggers)
The closer the camera is to the subject, the
faster the shutter needs to be to stop or freeze
the movement.
Look for the peak of the athlete’s movement
– when athlete reaches the apex (use a slow
shutter)
37. Shooting techniques cont’d
Panning
– Slow shutter and move the
camera to follow the subject during the
exposure
If you do not follow
smoothly, the subject will
be blurry (don’t gamble
solely on an impressionistic
pan shot)
38. Techniques for PJ cont’d
Panning
– Slow shutter and move the
camera to follow the subject during the
exposure
If you do not follow
smoothly, the subject will
be blurry (don’t gamble
solely on an impressionistic
pan shot)
39. Techniques for PJ cont’d
Get your assignment done, first. Then
experiment.
Play with light
Continuous shooting – capture a sequence
showing (before the action starts and
continue holding until after the action stops)
You can shoot faster
this way!
40. Techniques for PJ cont’d
Autofocus
is your friend. Most DSLR are
more precise than manual
Focus points – activate the middle
Most cameras have a multisensor focus
point that tracks unpredictable
movement (Nikon is called Dynamic Area
Autofocus AF; Canon is AI servo)
Zone focus – manually set the lens for the
point you expect the action to take place
41. Techniques for sportswriters
Writer about players and teams, not games.
Write about an individual player or group (offense,
defense)
Write about groups of games in one story, but look
for trends (strong defense, injuries, stars, etc.)
Identify players: don’t just say “Joe Smith.” Write
“senior tackle Joe Smith.”
Scores are numerals: 12-6 not 12 to 6.
Records are numerals, too. 8-2 but 8 and 2
Winning score ALWAYS comes first.
Don’t be a cheerleader.
The team is an IT. The team won ITS game.
42. Equipment
Wide
angle 20 mm
Telephoto 300 mm f/2.8 or bigger 400 mm
Tripod or monopod
Rain gear
External flash or a strobe
43. Sports stories
Advance coverage – to build up enthusiasm
Short gamer– on the spot
Parts
Headline
Lede: key player, outstanding player,
analytical approach
Body: highlights of game, decisive play, play
by play, comparison of teams, best score,
quotations, weather, crowd and celebrations
44. Tips for success
If
you want to write about sports, find something
else. This is about journalism. This is not about
being pals with your favorite teams/athletes. Your
passion has to be with reporting, writing, editing,
taking photos and design. No exceptions.
Write a TON. Small papers pay for coverage of
high school athletics. Write a blog for your own
amusement but actually submit articles
somewhere, too.
It’s always about the news. Championships,
heartbreak and tragedy.
Don’t waste time learning about sports. Learn
about writing and reporting. It helps to know
sports but it’s more valuable if you can write well.
